The law and order crackdown in Guangdong has been stepped up with strict regulations to handle the 11.5 million-strong floating-migrant population.
Transients conducting business or working in the province would have to apply to public security bureaus for one-year temporary residency permits, Xinhua reported.
The regulations detail the migrants' entitlements and responsibilities on employment, medical treatment and housing as well as the protection of their rights and interests.
The authorities hope to stem the tide of floating migrants, and want to give priority to the province's 100,000 unemployed workers. They are also concerned about rising crime, particularly drug trafficking.
Guangdong Labour Department chief Gan Zhaojiong was said to be alarmed the province had received many 'blind' labourers, illegal migrants who lost their homes in the floods.
Local officials were concerned the new job-seekers and dislocated workers might resort to violence to express grievances and presented a threat to social stability.
